To The End
by kikew1
Summary: It;s a Lily and James story. Find out what brigs the pair together. It starts in their sixth year and will hopefully go up to their deaths. May contain spoilers from OOTP. (summary sux, i know, but the story isn't bad)
1. Back to a never ending escape

**Disclaimer:  I'm not JKR.  I do not nor ever will own Harry Potter.  I do however own the plot and all characters you don't recognize.  No copyright infringement was intended. **

The platform to the Hogwarts Express was just as bustling on the first of September as it always has been.  Lily Evans was trying to find some of her friends in the crowd, but with no luck.  After fifteen minutes of searching the platform, she decided to give up and head for their usually compartment on the train.

Once she boarded and stowed her trunk and owl away she set off for the third compartment on the left of the last car.  Expecting to see her friends, Lily was quite surprised to the last person she wanted to.  James Potter was sitting by the window with his arms folded in his lap.  The moment he saw Lily though, he jumped to his feet and ruffled his already untidy black hair with a sickly handsome smile, "Hey Evans!  I was waiting for you!"  Lily couldn't believe that she wasn't even in the magical world not an hour and James Potter was starting already.  "What do you want Potter?" she said coolly.  His grin never left his face, "Just wanted to say hello to my darling Lily-flower."  Lily shuddered, "It makes my physically ill when you call me that."  His smirk had yet to falter.  Lily just rolled her eyes in annoyance.  She put on a sickening smile and stated as sweetly as she could muster, "Well then, now that you've said hello, you can go back to the rest of your cronies."  Just as the words left her mouth, her best friend Erin came into the compartment, "Oh, sorry, am I interrupting anything?"  Lily glared at her for a brief moment but James just grinned and ruffled his hair again, "No, not at all.  I'm just on my way out."  Erin smiled sweetly back, "Well goodbye then."  James nodded once and starting walking out the door, but before he closed it, he looked to Lily, smiled and winked, "See you later Evans."

Erin sat down where James was sitting before and started looking out the window while twirling her long golden blonde hair; her blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight.  Lily just stood there for a moment before she started to speak.  "You know, he called me 'Lily-flower' yet again.  I swear, if he calls me that again, and ruffles his damn hair once more, I'm going to hex him like there's no tomorrow!"  Erin looked at Lily and stopped twirling her hair, "I think he looks cute when he ruffles his hair, like a little innocent boy.  And he always calls you that; you should be used to it by now."  Just then two other girls walked into the compartment.  One tall girl with light brown hair just passed her shoulders and deep blue eyes, the other, although slightly shorter, but still tall with darker hair to her chin and brown eyes.  The taller one spoke, "Who always calls Lils what?"  Lily looked at the girl as though she had three heads, "Tiffany, who do you think!?!  Potter of course!"   The three other girls looked at each other desperately as Lily continued.  They knew what was coming.  "He had the audacity to cal me 'Lily-flower' again!  You think he would've learned after what happened last year when I nearly hexed him!  The lucky bastard!  I would have done him good if Professor McGonagall hadn't showed up when she did!"  Heather, the girl with the darker hair, muttered under her breath, but still clearly, "I think you fancy him."  Erin and Tiffany stifled their laughter as Lily's emerald green eyes grew to the size of galleons and her jaw dropped nearly to the floor.  Once she recovered from the shock of what she just heard, she was steaming from the ears.  "That is outrageous!  It's deeply disturbing actually!  Why on Earth would I fancy Potter!?!  He's a pompous, arrogant, self-absorbed prat!"  Heather spoke again, "Well, you used to like him."  Lily's mouth fell once more, "I can't believe you brought that up! I was in first year, before I knew any better!  I was eleven years old for Merlin's sake!"  Erin, Tiffany, and Heather just looked amused, but Lily looked furious.  She just sat in the seat across from Erin reading some muggle book angrily, vaguely listening to what her friends were talking about.  She heard something about red heads and hot tempers before she decided she had enough and tuned everything out.

By the time the train stopped, it was dark outside.  Lily and her friends headed towards the horseless carriages.  "Potter's back," Erin said under her breath to Lily and nodded her head slightly backwards.  Lily looked over her shoulder quickly.  Sure enough, James Potter and his three partners in crime were right behind them about ten feet back.  Lily went to the next carriage.  "I think this one's empty" she said as she looked in the small window.  When she opened the door she was startled.  Severus Snape was sitting in the dark shadows.  "This carriage is taken Mudblood."  Lily stared at him, "Well excuse me then _Snivellus" she growled.  She went to close the door, but she was stopped.  James Potter was standing right behind her with his wand pointing right at Snape, "Apologize to her."  Lily looked just as furious as both Snape and James, but she glared loathingly at James.  "I've told you many times that I don't want you to make him apologize to me" she said through gritted teeth and then walked away._

Lily stormed away and found an empty carriage.  Shortly after, Erin, Tiffany, and Heather joined her and the carriage headed towards the castle.  Lily sat there staring at the floor.  "Lils, he didn't do anything wrong."  Lily looked up at Tiffany, "He doesn't always have to do that.  I can handle it myself.  I don't want Snape or any of the Slytherins to apologize to me because they fear being at the receiving end of Potter's wand!  Potter thinks he can bully anyone into anything with his wand; I'd love to see him without it one day!"  The rest of the trip up to the castle was silent.

The Great Hall was full of chattering students and laughter until Professor McGonagall started to speak.  She brought out the sorting hat and the sorting ceremony began.  The sorting hat sang its song and decided houses for the new first years.  Once everyone was sorted, Dumbledore gave his usual speech.  "Before we eat, I have a few announcements.  For the first years and a few older students," he looked pointedly but with laughter in his eyes at James Potter and hiss three friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew, "that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all students.  Caretaker Filch also would like to remind everyone that magic is not to be used in the halls and a list of magical items that are prohibited can be seen on his office door.  That is all."  With a clap of his hands, all kinds of food appeared on all the long tables.

Five minutes into the feast, the Slytherin table was in an uproar.  All heads turned to see what all the commotion was.  Lily couldn't help herself to laugh.  Whenever the Slytherins tried to stick their silverware into the food it would move on them.  If they had managed to grab hold of a piece, it would fling back at them.  Lily looked over at James Potter and his friends.  They were laughing just as hard as everyone else, if not harder.  Then she looked over towards the head table.  Professor McGonagall was walking briskly towards the Gryffindor table.  She stopped in front of the four boys.  "Get into my office now."  They immediately stopped laughing.  Peter looked terrified, "It wasn't us Professor!"  James and Sirius were still grinning, "Yeah, Professor, why would you think it was us?"  McGonagall looked at them sternly, "Because Mr. Black, it's always the four of you.  Now come on."  The four stood up and followed McGonagall out of the Great Hall.  Lily smiled to herself, "Serves them right!"  Heather looked at her, "Oh come on Lils!  You were laughing too.  You have to admit that was good."  "Yeah Lils, did you see Snape and Malfoy?  Now Snape has to take a shower.  Maybe he won't look so greasy now."  Lily looked at them, "Fine, it was great.  Just like usual, but I wouldn't give Potter the satisfaction of knowing that.  His head would grow even bigger if he knew I enjoyed one of his little shows, and his head is big enough!"  The rest of the feast was uneventful and everyone left as soon as they were finished.

When the four girls got up to the Gryffindor common room there was a crowd of people around Potter and his crew of troublemakers.  Lily rolled her eyes, "I'm going up to bed."  The three other girls said goodnight and then went and sat by the fire.  Lily was at the landing at the bottom of the boys and girls dormitories when she heard her name being called by an all too familiar voice.  "Evans!  Wait a minute."  She turned around and saw James coming up the stairs two at a time.  "Potter, what do you want now?  And hurry it up, I'm tired and want to go to bed."  James' face broke into a huge grin, "Well, my _cronies_ are still down stairs.  That means my room's free.  We can go up there if you'd like."  Lily looked as though she'd be sick, but she still felt a slight blush creep to her face.  "Potter, you truly disgust me and I will never go up to your room, or mine, with _you_!"  James still grinned, "Well, there are many places in this castle where we could be alone."  Lily wanted to hex him just then but she decided against it.  Instead she took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a minute.  "Fine, let me put it this way so maybe it'll seep into that thick skull of yours.  I will _never_ go _anywhere_ with _you!  Now that that is settled, what did you want?"  James' grin finally faded although his hazel eyes were full of delight.  "I wanted to apologize to you."  Lily was shocked; James Potter never apologized, to anyone, for anything.  Lily's left eyebrow went up in suspicion, "Why?"  "For butting in earlier at the carriages.  I just don't like when anyone is called a you-know-what.  It's disgusting."   Lily was looking at his face and he seemed sincere.  __'How can he be this good looking and so sweet sometimes when his head is as big as it is?'  "Lily?"  She looked back to him.  "Do you except my apology?"  "What?  Oh right.  I accept it, _this_ time anyway.  I can handle myself you know.  I could hex him myself if I'd like."  James smiled again, "I'm sure you're more then capable.  You're not top of our year for nothing."  Lily smiled involuntarily, "Well, I'm going up to my bedroom.  Goodnight."  She starting going up the stairs and felt James watching her.  She was slapping herself mentally for thinking of good things about him.  That is until she got to the top and he spoke again.  "Goodnight Lily-flower."  She stopped dead in her tracks and was ready to turn around and curse him, but then she heard him go back down the stairs to the common room.  _'I swear, one more time, I will, I will hex him.'_ _

The next morning Lily, along with everyone else headed to the Great Hall for breakfast and to receive their schedules.  Lily glanced down at hers.

Monday

8:00am Potions 

9:30am Potions

11:00am Lunch

12:30pm Defense Against the Dark Arts

2:00pm Transfiguration

Tuesday

8:00am Herbology

9:30am Herbology

11:00am Lunch

12:30pm Transfiguration

2:00pm Transfiguration

Wednesday

8:00am Potions

9:30am Potions

11:00am Lunch

12:30pm Defense Against the Dark Arts

2:00pm Defense Against the Dark Arts

Thursday

8:00am Charms

9:30am Charms

11:00am Lunch

12:30pm Herbology

2:00pm Defense Against the Dark Arts

Friday

8:00am Transfiguration

9:30am Transfiguration

11:00am Lunch

12:30 Defense Against the Dark Arts

2:00 Defense Against the Dark Arts

"I have double potions first thing in the morning on Mondays and Wednesdays!  Riotous on a Monday morning!"  Lily groaned inwardly.  "And nearly everything is doubled!  We have hardly any regular classes."  Erin took Lily's schedule in her hand and compared it to hers, "We have everything together except when you have Herbology, I have Arithmancy!"  "I'm with you in everything Lils."  Tiffany smiled and so did Heather, "Me too!"  Erin looked slightly down trodden when she gave Lily her schedule back, "I guess I'm the only one who'll be in Arithmancy.  I can't believe all of you dropped it!"  Lily looked at her, "We won't need it, and you do."  "Oh, so just because I want to have a job and travel the world first class, I'm being punished!?!"  Heather chortled with laughter, "You think being a curse breaker is going to allow you to travel first class!  You think risking your life in exotic places and going down into mines and caves for some treasure that's guarded with some of the deadliest things is going to be first class!?!"  Lily, Erin, and Tiffany all laughed.

Heather Marx was always the one to make the group laugh.  Her heart was made of gold but she looked like she'd be made of ice.  Her skin was very light but it looked even paler because of her dark hair and eyes.  She was a ravenous beauty.  Heather also was the most outspoken person Lily had ever met.  She always voiced her opinion no matter what the subject.  Heather also never said a bad thing about anyone unless she deeply loathed them or they hurt one of the people she cared for.  

Tiffany Maltese was the emotional one of the group.  Anyone who talked to her could read her like an open book; you always knew what she was up to.  She also could be taken advantage of very easily.  She trusted almost everyone and would do nearly anything for anybody.  Tiffany was also very self conscience about her looks, but she really had nothing to worry about.  She wasn't the prettiest girl in school, but she sure wasn't a dog either.  Most of the guys in school would agree with that as well.  She always has a boyfriend, but not a new one every month unlike Erin.

Erin Moran was a dare devil.  She would try anything as long as she felt like she'd have fun; she also got bored very quickly also.  Because of that, she never had a boyfriend last too long.  Erin was a classic blue-eyed, blonde haired natural beauty (one of the prettiest girls in school too); but she wasn't some blonde bimbo.  She never giggled and she always was thinking about something- and not boys and clothes.  You could tell when she was really deep in thought; she would twirl her hair and stare off into space.

After breakfast, everyone headed towards their first classes.  Lily, Heather, and Tiffany headed towards the greenhouses and Erin went to her Arithmancy class.  

Half way to Greenhouse 3 Lily heard foot steps running behind her.  She looked back, "Ahh!  Please tell me he's going to Care of Magical Creatures!"  Heather looked back and saw James Potter closing in on them and laughed.  So did Tiffany.  When James reached the girls he stopped running and Heather laughed again, "Sorry Lils, I don't think so."  Lily glared at her and then stopped and turned to James.  Heather and Tiffany kept walking.

"What do you want Potter?"  James started to grin, "Well, I want you to go out with me, but I got your message clearly last night.  You'll never date me."  Lily's eyes widened in shock, "So you're gonna stop asking me out and leave me alone?!?"  "Well, I'll stop asking you out for now, but I won't leave you alone.  That would be kind of hard, considering we have all of the same classes."  "We what?  How?  Why?"  "Lily dear, you're preparing to be a healer, me, an auror.  We need the same things.  Remus and Sirius too."  James nodded his head behind Lily and she looked back.  Remus and Sirius caught up to them.  "I'm stuck with the three of you with no escape for the next two years!?!"  Sirius and Remus laughed, but James looked serious, "Lily-flower, you'll never escape me and since you can't escape me, you won't escape them."  Lily looked at him in disgust, "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear you call me '_Lily-flower_,' but amuse me.  Why will I never be able to escape you?"  James smiled again and started to walk towards the greenhouses again, "Come on Lily, you're a smart girl, you should know you can't escape the man you love."  Lily laughed until she caught up to him, "You think you're a man?"  "Lily-flower, not just a man, the man you love."  James went to open the door to the greenhouse, but Lily stopped him.  With her wand pointed directly to James' chest she spoke through gritted teeth, "Potter, you're one step above Snape!  And I swear, if you call me '_Lily-flower' one more damn time, I'll hex you so badly you'll be afraid of the sight of a bloody wand!"  With that she pushed James aside and entered Herbology class._

The Herbology assignment was to repot plants.  Potter, Black, and Lupin decided to work at the table directly across of Lily, Heather, and Tiffany.  Lily refused to look at them, but she knew James was watching her.  She felt his eyes burning her skin.  She also knew Heather was watching her and James.  Lily was sure that Heather was just itching to say something and she was surprised that she hadn't done so already; usually Heather couldn't keep her mouth shut.  Then Lily saw, out of the corner of her eye, Heather smile, "Hey!  Lupin!"  Lily looked up to see what exactly was going on.  Remus looked up too, "Yeah Marx?"  Heather smiled again, "Can I talk to you quickly, after class?"  Remus smiled too, "Yeah, sure."  Heather kept smiling at him; "Great," and then she went back to working on her plant.  Lily looked to Heather, then to Tiffany who shrugged, and then back to Heather.  "Heather?  Gonna fill us in?"  "No."  Lily just stared at Heather for a minute then felt eyes watching her again.  She had had enough.  She looked up and stared right back at James, Remus, and Sirius.  She smiled and waved sarcastically at them.  James smiled back and ruffled his hair, and mumbled something that made Sirius and Remus laugh.  Lily rolled her eyes.  "Face it mate, no matter what you do, she's not gonna like you."  "Yeah Prongs, never," Remus added to Sirius' statement.  _'I guess those two aren't as naive as James.  They can tell I don't like him.'  Lily watched James turn to his friends, "That's where you two are wrong."  Then he looked straight back at Lily and winked, "See, you two are wrong because she does like me.  In fact, she loves me already.  She just doesn't realize it yet."  Lily's eyes narrowed on James and the bell rang for lunch, "You make me sick Potter!  Come on Tiff, let's go find Erin.  Heather, we'll see you when you're done with Lupin."  Heather looked slightly shocked, but agreed._

The walk back to the castle was quite.  Lily could tell that Tiffany wasn't sure what was going on and didn't know what to say.  Finally, they arrived at the castle and found Erin walking down one of the staircases to the main hall.  "Hey guys, where's Heather?"  Lily rolled her eyes and answered in a disgusted voice, "Talking to Lupin."  Erin eyed Lily with caution, "Lupin's not that bad Lils."  "They're ALL prats!"  "Lils, I didn't do anything to you so don't yell at me."  Lily sighed, "I know, I'm sorry, it's just Potter.  I swear, I can't bloody stand him."  "What happened?"  Lily shook her head, "I'll tell you when Heather gets back.  She's gonna want to know the whole story I'm sure."  With that they headed for their usual seats at the Gryffindor table.

About ten minutes into lunch, Heather showed up with the Marauders.  She was walking in between Peter Pettigrew and Remus; James and Sirius were talking in hushed voices right behind them.  Lily watched them and shook her head.  She knew that they had to be planning something and with the way the day had been so far, she was feeling slightly nervous.  Although Lily couldn't hear what James had whispered in Herbology, she knew it was about her.  Why else would've Sirius and Remus say no matter what James did she wouldn't like him.  What exactly did James plan on doing, Lily had no idea. As Lily was watching them, Heather left the group and sat in her usual spot next to Tiffany.  James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter went to their spot a little further down the table.

When Heather sat down she smiled right at Lily, "So are you going to tell me what happened before Herbology?"  "Only if you tell us what you wanted with Lupin."  "Sorry, I can't."  "Then sorry, I can't tell you."  Heather rolled her eyes, "That's okay, James already told me."  Lily looked at Heather, "I'm sure he didn't tell you exactly what happened.  His ego is too big."  "You're probably right; you usually are, so straighten it out for me.  Otherwise I'm going to go with James' version."  "Alright, but you have to tell us what you needed to talk to Lupin for."  Heather looked like she was debating her options in her head, "Fine, but you can't say anything to anyone!"  "Okay."

While they ate lunch, Lily told them what happened.  Erin laughed when Lily told them she swore to James that she would make him afraid of a wand if he called her 'Lily-flower' ever again.  "Come on Lils.  You know you won't hex him.  You've been saying that you would for three years now and you haven't once."  Lily looked at her surprised, normally Heather would say something like that, not Erin.  Erin would only say that to Lily if it was just them.  "Well, the next time he does, I will.  I promise you, I will.  I've had enough of Potter."  Erin smiled, "Well good.  It's about time, but watch out for teachers.  I don't think it would be good for a Prefect to get detention for hexing someone.  Remus has a weeks worth for last night along with Potter, Black, and Peter."  _'Damn her.'_  "Anyways, Heather, I believe you have something to say." Lily looked to Heather to get the subject off herself.  Heather's eyes widened a little, but went back to normal quickly.  "I just wanted to ask him something, that's all."  "And what was that?" Erin asked and waved Heather on to continue.  Lily could tell that Heather didn't want to say anything else.  "Umm, well, I just, I just wanted to ask him how his mother was doing.  You know how she's always sick and everything."  Lily, Heather, and Tiffany didn't believe Heather, but they let it go.

After lunch all four of the girls had Transfiguration; so did the Marauders and all 6th year Ravenclaws who continued with Transfiguration.  Lily sat at a table with Erin; Tiffany and Heather's table right next to them.  Potter and Black sat behind Lily and Erin; Remus and Peter behind them.  The six Ravenclaws all paired into twos and found seats.  Professor McGonagall stood at the head of the class silently until everyone was seated.  "The sixth year of Transfiguration is very important and not easy.  This year we will specialize in advanced Transfigurations.  We'll deal with larger, more magical animals and objects along with human transformations."  McGonagall's eyes scanned each students face, "Mr. Black, Mr. Potter, is there something either one of you would like to say?"  Lily looked back at them.  It was obvious that they were trying not to laugh.  "Sorry Professor, no" they answered in unison.  McGonagall continued, "Good, you two already have a week of detention.  Now on with seating arrangements."  There was a groan from all directions of the classroom.  "With this year being as difficult as it is, there will be assigned seats.  I do not want any," McGonagall looked and Potter and Black, "mayhem whatsoever this year.  I have already chosen partners for each of you.  Please move to your new seat when I call your name."  For the next five minutes McGonagall called out each students name and pointed to a seat.  Erin was paired up with one of the Ravenclaw Prefects Kelsey York, Tiffany with a boy named Daniel, and Heather was paired with Remus; who both seemed happy with the arrangement.  Lily got paired with Sirius Black, James' right hand.  All she could think about was that it could have been worse; she could've been paired with Potter instead.

For the rest of the class, they took notes, at least Lily and the Ravenclaws did.  Lily could see Heather and Remus passing notes to each other and Erin drawing on a spare piece of parchment  Lily watched Sirius write down on a piece of parchment, but he never looked up at the board or McGonagall.  James was doing the same.  Knowing the two of them, Lily knew they had to be up to something rather then taking notes like a good student would.

**A/N… What do you think?  Please review and let me know.  I was going to make this into two separate chapters, but I decided I'd make it into one instead.  Sorry I don't have the second chapter up yet, I haven't been able to go online for some reason and I've been really busy with work.  My only spare time is at night around 11 before I go to bed, so that's when I write.  I'll try to post again ASAP.  **


	2. The beginning of a friendship

**Disclaimer:  Do you think that if I really were JKR I would write fan fiction and post it on the internet?  I didn't think so.**

Chapter two

               The rest of the week of classes went by slowly.  Nothing very eventful happened except the usually pranks pulled on the Slytherins by the Marauders.  Although in nearly all class, Lily had noticed James Potter and Sirius Black writing on a piece of parchment, rarely looking up.  She couldn't help herself to wonder what they were up to.  She made a mental note to ask Remus at the Prefect meeting on Friday night if what they were planning was anything serious.  

               Diner Friday night went by like every other night.  When Lily and her friends were finished eating, they all went outside by the lake to do some homework.  They sat with their feet in the water, one of their favorite pastimes, until around 6:30 when it started to get dark.  Plus Lily had to drop off her things up in the Gryffindor Tower before her Prefect meeting at 7:00.  The four girls walked up the tall moving staircases to the Gryffindor Tower.  Within 10 minutes they reached the portrait of the fat lady, "Gilyweed."  The portrait swung open and the four girls climbed in one by one.  Lily dropped her bag on a table near the fireplace where the other girls were sitting and then headed back out of the portrait hole.  She noticed Remus Lupin stand up and walk away from the rest of the Marauders in the corner and leave right behind her.  

               "Hey Lily." "Hey Remus."  Lily looked sideways at him and noticed that he was looking very tired, and then she briefly remembered that the full moon was coming up.  Lily knew that Remus was a werewolf, although she found out unintentionally.  She had found out one night when she was walking around the lake in fifth year.  She watched Peter Pettigrew turn into a mouse and saw the Whooping Willow freeze and then Sirius Black into a grim looking shaggy black dog, and James Potter turn into a beautiful stag.  Then the three of them entered a large not in the tree and disappeared.  At first Lily thought she was seeing things, but the next day, she found out what she saw was true.  She heard James and Sirius discussing that night's adventure and found out about Remus being a werewolf.  Right then she walked up to Sirius and James and stared at them dumbfounded.  

**_flashback**_

**_"_**_That's what all the nicknames mean.  They're all your animals."  Sirius and James looked at each other until James looked back to Lily and spoke, "What are you talking about Evans?"  "I saw you guys last night."  James looked back to Sirius nervously who looked just as nervous.  "I saw you two and Peter transform."  Lily watched James swallow hard, "You won't say anything will you?"  Lily didn't answer, but Sirius spoke, "Lily, you can't say anything.  We'll get a lot more then detention for being animagus, we could be sent Azkaban and our wands snapped!"  James' and Sirius' faces were paled with growing fear.  For the first time, Lily felt sorry for them, "I won't say anything," she spoke softly.  With those words spoken, James' and Sirius' faces both brightened a considerable amount, but James still looked slightly worried.  "Promise Evans?"  James looked straight into Lily's eyes.  The intensity in them was odd for Lily to see considering his eyes were usually alight with laughter and mischief.  "I swear Potter."  After that James looked as though nothing happened._

**_end flashback**_

               Finally Lily and Remus reached the room where the Prefects held all their meetings.  Remus opened the door for Lily and she walked through with him following.  Lily sat next to Kelsey York and Remus sat on her other side quietly.  Remus had told her once that he never felt like he belonged at the meetings, he didn't feel like he should be a Prefect with the amount of trouble he was always in.  During the meeting they just discussed the schedule for patrolling the halls at night and decided on the date for the first Hogsmeade trip.  That would be the first weekend of October.  The meeting was adjourned around a quarter to eight.  On the walk back up to the Gryffindor tower, Lily decided to ask Remus about James and Sirius.  "What are those to planning?"  Remus looked at her oddly, "What are who planning?"  Lily raised her famous left eyebrow and looked back at him, "Who do you think?"  Remus looked away in defeat, "James and Sirius?"  "Yes, Potter and Black.  What are they up to?  They always are writing in class."  Remus shrugged, "Maybe they're actually doing their work for once."  "I don't think so, and nor do you.  Come on, what are they planning?"  "Why do you care all of a sudden about what they're doing?  I think I might have to tell Jamesy-boy that you're asking about him."  _'I can't believe he's playing the James card!'  "Fine, don't tell me, but maybe you can tell me what Heather and you have been doing lately."  Remus' head whipped around to face Lily so fast at the mention of Heather's name he had to massage his neck, "What do you mean?  Heather and I haven't been doing anything."  "What did she talk to you about after Herbology on Tuesday?"  "She didn't tell you?"  "No!  She told me some sod story that she asked how your mother was feeling.  She doesn't know that I know, but I know she knows about you.  I don't know how she knows," Lily added just so Remus wouldn't think she told anyone, "but I know she does.  So what did she really ask?"  "She didn't ask me anything really.  But just so you know, Heather knows about me because I told her last year before you even knew."  "Oh.  Okay.  But if it was nothing really, then how come she won't tell me?"  "I don't know."  "If it's nothing, then just tell me."  "You want to know?  You really want to know?"  "If I didn't, I wouldn't have asked now would I?"  "Okay.  First she asked me if I would go with her to the first Hogsmeade trip, then she asked something about James, and for good measure, she asked how my mother was feeling."  "What did she ask about Potter?"  "Oh for Merlin's sake Lily, can't you just say James?"  Lily sighed agitated and rolled her eyes, "What did she ask about _James_?"  Remus laughed, "Why do you care about her asking about James?  Interested in the topic of him today, aren't you?"  "Hardly," Lily said flatly, "but I have a very bad feeling that in the end it's going to have something to do with me!"  "And you call James conceited."  Lily looked daggers at Remus, "I like you Remus, don't give me a reason not to!"  With that they were at the portrait hole and Remus gave the password.  Lily walked to her bag, picked it up, and started heading to the stairs up to the girls dormitories.  She heard James call "Evans," and Remus laugh slightly, but she ignored him and continued up to her room.  She was thankful that James didn't follow her up the stairs and for once left her alone._

               Heather and Tiffany were already upstairs in the dormitory.  Tiffany told Lily that Erin was walking around the lake with Thomas Dalton, a 7th year Ravenclaw boy, but Lily wasn't really paying attention to her, she was more interested in Heather.  Heather was sitting at the vanity brushing her hair; Lily looked at her with eyes in her eyes.  "What did you ask about Potter Heather?"  Heather turned around and faced Lily, "I see you've talked to Remus."  "Yeah I did, and now I want to know what you asked him about Potter and why."  "Come on Lils, what's it matter to you?"  "I'll bet it has everything to matter to me, that's why you or Remus won't tell me."  Heather looked slightly nervous, but she still held a contempt face, "All I asked was why James liked you so much."  "So it did have something to do with me!"  "Yeah, it did, so what?  It was nothing horrible."  "You still should have told me."  "Why, do you want to know why he likes you?"  "Of course not, I could care less why he likes me."  "Then it doesn't matter, it's over with."  "Fine."  

               Lily went into the bathroom and started brushing her teeth.   _'Why **does** he like me?  God!  Why am I asking that?  I don't care why he likes me, right?'  Lily shook her head trying to clear her thoughts and opened the bathroom door.  She stopped when she heard Heather and Tiffany talking.  "He likes a challenge?" Tiffany asked.  "Yeah, Remus said that it started out when Sirius bet James he couldn't get Lily to like him in third year.  But after a while James really started to like her.  James says that her playing hard to get only makes him like her more; she's not like anyone else.  Remus told me that James always says how he and Lils will get married someday.  I never thought James to be the sentimental type."  "I always thought he was chasing after her to prove that he could get anyone he wanted.  I mean nearly all the girls here have tried to get with him some way or another, but he's only had two girlfriends.  He's only interested in Lils." Tiffany said in a slightly awed voice.  "You'll never guess what James said when he heard what we were talking about!"  Tiffany's eyes widened in interest, "What?"  "He came up behind us and told me that he was in love with her.  That he loved her!  He really is a sweetheart."  Lily's eyes widened and her jaw dropped.  She closed the bathroom door silently and looked back at herself in the mirror. _'He thinks he loves me!?!  For Merlin's sake, we're 16 years old!'_  Lily stood there staring at herself and thinking until she heard a knock on the door and Erin's voice, "Lils, you okay?  Tiff told me you've been in there for a while."  Lily opened the door, "Yeah, I'm fine.  I was just brushing my teeth."  Heather showed up behind Erin, "For twenty minutes?"  Lily looked at her annoyed, "Yes, for twenty minutes."  Heather just looked back at her, the same way, "Sorry."  Lily just brushed past her, grabbed her bag and went down to the common room._

               It was still early, only a little past nine, but not many people were in the common room.  Only the Marauders and two seventh years were there.  Lily sat down on the couch by the fireplace and took out her book that she was reading on the train.  She tried to focus on her book, but she kept looking over at the Marauders, James anyway.  She couldn't stop thinking about what she heard.  _'Why would he even like me, more so love me, if he knows that I hate him?'_  In the back of her mind she heard her other voice, she hated that voice, it was usually always right, _'You don't hate him.'_  Lily rolled her eyes, "I know," she said out loud not realizing it, but when the Marauders laughed she was brought back to reality.  James was smiling at her, "You know Evans, talking to yourself is the first sign of insanity."  Lily looked at him for a second and then went back to her book, ignoring his gaze.  

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw James stand up and walk towards her.  He sat down next to her when he reached the couch, "You feeling okay Evans?  You didn't say anything back to me; you hardly even glared."  Without looking up from her book she said (less coolly then she usually would have mind you), "Would you rather me glare at you?"  James laughed lightly, "At least then I would see your pretty face and those eyes of yours."  As much as it killed Lily to think so, she had to admit that James Potter knew how to charm a girl.  This was why girls would swoon over him, even Lily had a hard time ignoring his charm, _rarely _though.  "Alright, say something, you never let me talk about how pretty you are."  Lily still didn't say anything else.  She saw James look over to his friends and Sirius nod.  "So Lily-flower, what's going on in that head of yours?"  Lily just sat there reading, or pretending to read rather.  For the first time she didn't feel like hexing him for calling her 'Lily-flower,' even though she still didn't like it or James for that matter.  "Okay, you're really starting to scare me now.  Did you hear what I called you Evans?"  _'I can be just as mean as him sometimes, without even hexing him.  But I'm not a conceited idiot.'  "Do you need to go to the Hospital Wing or something?" James asked his voice full of concern and slight confusion.  "I'm fine; can you just leave me alone?"  Lily looked at him pleadingly.  He looked back even more concerned.  "Please James?"  His face turned surprised and he smiled smugly, "You just called me James!"  "Don't be flattered; Remus asked me to call you by your first name.  Now can you please leave me alone so I can read my book?"  "Yeah, sorry."  __'_He just apologized for something?'_   Lily watched his retreating back go up the stairs to the boy's dormitory without saying anything to his friends.  Sirius followed him right after, and Peter followed suit.  Remus stayed where he was and Lily noticed the two seventh years weren't there anymore either.  Then Remus got up and walked towards Lily._

Lily looked at Remus slightly teary eyed.  He took the seat where James was sitting and he looked at her concerned.  "What's going on Lily?"  Lily shook her head slowly, "I don't know."  Remus looked a little weary, but decided to speak anyway, "Did Heather tell you what happened?"  "She didn't tell me, but I heard her tell Tiff.  We're 16, he can't really be in love with me, right?"  "I don't know Lily, the way he talks sometimes, I wouldn't be surprised.  I think he actually cares more about you then he does about quidditch and his snitch collection, and that's saying something."  Lily looked down at her feet, her head pounding with thoughts.  "Lily, can I ask you something?"  Lily shrugged her shoulders, "Sure."  "How do you really feel about James?  You say you hate him, but I know that isn't true.  You can't even hate Snape.  You're too good for all that."  Lily looked Remus straight in the eyes, "I don't hate him, but I don't like him either.  He is an arrogant, conceited, pompous git.  But if he wasn't so sure of himself all the time and stopped trying to impress everyone, especially me, I think he'd probably be alright.  And if he stopped ruffling his damn hair and hexing anyone he feels like it all the time, he'd be great.  I mean, he's smart, good looking, incredibly charming, but he's still a toe rag."  Remus laughed and so did Lily, but then Remus became serious again.  "So what's exactly bothering you?"  "He said that he loves me.  He hardly knows me.  I've only said mean things to him and has showed not one once of interest in him, yet he still persists and actually says he loves me.  I've always thought he was an idiot, but this goes beyond it all."  "So your upset that he 'loves' you even though you don't care about him?"  "That's part of it."  "What's the other part?"  "I realized that I'm always mean to him.  I criticize him for being mean to others, but I'm always, always, mean to him.  I don't think I've really ever said a nice thing to him.  I'm always yelling and being rude to him.  Even though I've never took out my wand, well, used it anyway, on him, I've been just as bad his him in that respect.  Granted I'm usually sticking up for his victim, or yelling at him because he's breaking a rule, I've still been nasty to him.  And then you go and say that I'm too good to hate anyone, and I was kind of placed in the same category as James; too good for something.  I don't want to be too good for anything."  Remus just looked at Lily, "Forgive me, but I'm slightly confused."  Lily gave a kind of sarcastic laugh, "So am I.  I think I just need to go to bed."  "That's probably a good idea, but I think there's something that you should try and start to do."  Lily looked at Remus suspiciously "And what is that?"  "I think that you should try and get to know the side of him his friends know, rather then just his big headed side.  I think if you talked to him, he would try to do anything, just so he could have a chance with you."  Lily's left eyebrow went up, "Why do you think he'll ever have a chance with me?"  Remus laughed as he started towards the staircase, "Because I think you like him a lot more then you're telling anyone, even yourself."  Lily stood in her spot for a moment, then she ran to the stairs, "Don't you dare tell James anything I said about him.  Or Sirius!  Or Peter!  Don't tell anyone anything."  Remus turned around, "I won't, goodnight."  Lily looked at him slightly apprehensive, "Yeah, goodnight."

The next morning Lily didn't get up until Erin woke her at 10:00.  Erin asked a million questions about what was wrong with her last night.  Lily didn't really feel like saying anything, but she decided to tell Erin everything anyway.  After all, Erin was her best friend; Lily couldn't very well keep it all to herself.  Erin was shocked beyond shocked.  She couldn't believe Lily actually admitted to not hating James Potter, the person who she told nearly ever day she loathed him.  Erin knew that Lily had never _really_ hated James, but she couldn't believe that Lily came out and finally said that she didn't.  Lily had to laugh at herself for this.  She couldn't understand why she wouldn't say she didn't hate James.  Erin said that she was just trying to stay away from anything pro-Potter, this way she couldn't be swept off her feet like every other girl in school.  Lily had to laugh at this as well.

Most of the rest of September went by slowly.  The days grew shorter and colder, and it nearly always rained.  

Lily had thought about what Remus had said about trying to get to know James, but she still didn't know.  She was grateful though that James had left her alone for a while.  He didn't say hello every time he saw her, or even ruffle his hair, he barely even looked at her.  The only spoken words to her were "Good morning," and "Can you please pass me the…"  After while, Lily started to feel odd not having him come up to her all the time and annoy her.  She started feeling even odder when she realized she missed his attention.  But on the last Saturday of September when the date of the first Hogsmeade trip was posted, James went back to normal and went straight to Lily.  At the time Lily was sitting with Erin, Heather, and Tiffany in the common room do homework so they had the rest of Sunday free.  James looked at Lily with his hazel eyes aglow.  "Hey Lily, are you gonna go to Hogsmeade next Saturday?"  Lily looked at Erin quickly and then back to James, "As long as I don't have too much work."  James laughed, "That's what Sunday night or Monday morning is for."  Lily rolled her eyes but smiled, she was determined to at least try to be nice to James for the time being, just until she sorted things out.  "I'm not like you James.  I need to know most of my work is done before hand."  James kept his lopsided grin on his face, "Alright, well, if you don't have a lot of work, and you do go, would you like to go with me possibly?"  As Lily thought about it, James' grin turned into a less hopeful smile.  "Maybe we can meet up for a little while."  "Really!?!"  Lily nodded her head, "Yeah, really."  James' smile grew again, "Great!"  With that he walked away back to his friends.  By the looks of shock on their faces, Lily knew that James' must have told them what she said.  Then Remus gave her a questioning look, Lily just shrugged her shoulders and smiled a little, then went back to talking to her friends.  

Saturday came fast, too fast for Lily.  That morning James came up to ask her about her workload and she told him she didn't have too much, so she would be going to Hogsmeade.  The look on his face when she told him she'd meet him at Dervish and Bangs at 2:00 was priceless.  He looked like a little kid who just found out Christmas was coming early.  Lily couldn't believe that she agreed.

At 1:55 she showed up at Dervish and Bangs to find James waiting for her.  He ruffled his hair nervously, but when he saw her roll her eyes, he apologized.  Lily found this slightly funny but she stopped laughing when he looked at her as though she was mad.  They were just walking around not really speaking to each other.  James seemed nervous, which was another laughable subject to Lily, but she did not laugh out loud this time.  As they wandering the long path up the hill to the Shrieking Shack, Lily couldn't stand the quite anymore.  "So, umm, I know you haven't been causing a lot of trouble lately, so what have you been doing?"  "I've been thinking a lot."  "You think?" Lily teased.  James smiled one of his dazzling smiles at her, "Ha ha, very funny."  "What have you been thinking about?"  "Oh, umm, a bunch of things.  We have the usual," James started to count on his fingers, "you know you, quidditch, and pranking the Slytherins.  Then there's the unusual two, school and homework."  Lily laughed, "I don't understand how you do well in school."  James just shrugged, "What have you been up to?  I haven't been watching you for a while, so I don't know."  "I've been thinking a lot as well."  "What have you been thinking about?"  Lily gave a little laugh, "Don't let this get to your head, but you actually."  James eyebrows went up and he got a gleam in his eyes, "Me?  You've been thinking about me?"  Lily rolled her eyes, "Stop it right now; don't make me regret what I'm about to say."  James became serious, or as serious as James could get, "Okay, sorry, what is it?"  Lily took a deep breath, "Well, I think we should try to be friends."  James' eyes widened, "You and me, friends?"  "Yeah, you and me friends."  James smiled, "Why the sudden change of heart?"  "Remus said something a while ago that got me thinking."  "What did he say?"  "He said that there was a different side to you.  You know a side that only your friends see.  And I was thinking, that well, Remus is a descent person, and Sirius and Peter aren't always horrible, and they're your best mates, so they wouldn't be friends with a completely horrible person.  So I figured that there has to be a good side to you, and hopefully I'll get to know that side better."  James just stood there not believing his ears staring at Lily.  Since he didn't say anything, Lily continued, "I think you good be a great person, if you just stopped doing some of things you do.  And then, I think you and I could be very good friends."  "Are you serious?"  "Yes?"  Lily wasn't sure why James was acting the way he was.  She thought he'd be happy that she wanted to get to know him, even if just as friends, but he sounded as though she was mad for thinking so.  Then James smiled the biggest smile Lily had ever seen.  "Alright, great.  Now what were these things that you think I should change?"  "There are a few small things, and a few bigger things that could be changed over time."  " Let's start off with the small things."  "First, you have to stop calling me 'Lily-flower.'"  "Why don't you like being called that?"  "When I was little, my mum and dad always called me 'Lily-flower' and it drove me mad!  My mother's name is Rose, and my sister's Petunia.  I swear, if I ever have a daughter, her name will be as far from a flower's as it possibly can be."  James laughed, "Okay, what other small things?"  "There's just one other," James looked at Lily as if expecting there to be more, "and that's about your hair."  "I can't do anything about my hair!  I've been cursed with the Potter's mark!"  Lily laughed, "You can stop ruffling it all the time!"  James looked slightly shocked, "Be honest with me, you really don't find it intriguing when I do that?"  Lily just shook her head no.  "All the other girls at school think it is!"  "I'm not like other girls then."  "Do you agree with them on anything about me?"  "Not really."  "Do you at lest think I'm attractive!?!"  Lily laughed and shook her head, "I'll give you that one.  You're good looking."  "Just good looking?"  Lily rolled her eyes and smiled, "Extremely good looking."  "That's more like it!  What are the bigger things?"  "Your attitude mostly.  You know you could be a little nicer to some more people.  You don't have to hex someone just because you feel like it or because Sirius is bored.  And you don't have to try and impress everyone all the time.  You don't have to boast about and show off the things you do so much better then other people.  They most likely already know, and you don't have to rub their noses in it and make them feel like they're an inch tall."  "You know your right.  I've actually been thinking about it a lot, since last year actually.  Since after our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. and you told me that you don't know how my broom could get off the ground with my big head." James laughed and Lily smiled.  "It's four thirty, we should head back, we don't want to be late for dinner."  Lily looked down at her watch and agreed and they started heading back down the road.

**A/N…sorry this took so long to get up, and that it's kinda short, but I hope you liked it. Don't forget to hit that little button on the bottom left of the screen and review.**


	3. Quidditch, Dreams, and Detention

**Disclaimer:  What's the name of this website?  Anyone?  www.FANfiction.net.  Did you read that?  FANFICTION.  I'm not even close to JKR and I hardly doubt that anyone thinks I created the entire HP world.**

**A/N… I just wanted to say thanks to the people who have reviewed.  There aren't many, but it made me pleased to see that at least a few people read my story and enjoyed it so far.  Cookies to you all.  I would also like to apologize for the long wait.  This is a long chapter, and I've rewrote it two times.  I just couldn't get things out the way I wanted them to be shown.  But, I think I finally got it right.  Third times a charm, right?**

Quidditch, Dreams, and Detention…Chapter three

                The first two weeks of October were filled with talk of Halloween and Quidditch.  The first quidditch match was going to be on Halloween; Gryffindor versus Slytherin.  The rivalry between the two houses was as strong as ever.  When James (being the Captain and seeker for the Gryffindor house team) wasn't busy strategizing for the match, he was busy playing pranks on the Slytherins with the rest of the Marauders, or dueling with Snape.  Lily lost hope for James.  She had figured that James had forgotten about their talk in Hogsmeade already, and hadn't tried at all.  He was being as arrogant as ever.  The only think he did stop was calling her 'Lily-flower.'  For that she was grateful.

                By the last week, the pranks and dueling got worse.  Seventeen people were sent to the hospital wing, one more serious then the next.  Two were from Ravenclaw, four Hufflepuffs, six Slytherins, and five people from Gryffindor.  Most of them were innocent bystanders, but the majority of the Slytherins and Gryffindors were people from the duels.  Sirius was in the hospital wing for a day due to a duel with his cousin Bellatrix Black from Slytherin, but she got the worst of it.  She was knocked unconscious for three days and wasn't allowed to play in the upcoming Quidditch match (she was a chaser).

                On the morning of Halloween, everyone in the Gryffindor common room was ecstatic.  The glow around James was as bright as ever with him being in all his glory.  Even Lily couldn't deny that he was the best quidditch player in the school, and she wouldn't be surprised if after he graduated he was recruited to a national team.  But even with James smiling and listening to people praise him or wish him good luck,, there was a look about him that Lily couldn't really place at first.  She saw the usual look of pride and determination, but she could have sworn she saw a hint of nervousness in his face while he poked at his breakfast for a minute or so before he started to eat it.

"Lily?"

Lily looked up to look at Erin seated next to her, "Uh?  Oh! What Erin?"

Erin looked at Lily slightly shocked; Lily usually didn't drift off out of conversations unless they were about her.  "Did you hear what I said?"

"Sorry, no.  What were you guys talking about?"

Erin was about to tell Lily what was being said, but Heather interrupted, "I told you she wasn't listening.  She's been staring at James for the last six minutes!"  Heather said all this fast and a bit excitedly, but not very quietly.  Granted she wasn't screaming it, but it was loud enough for James to hear his name and look over. 

Lily felt a slight, a very slight, blush creep to her face.  When she spoke, she spoke in a quite growl, "I wasn't!  And keep your voice down!"  As Lily spoke, she felt people looking at her.  She didn't have to turn and look who it was though; she knew it was the Marauders.  Over the years, she had developed a talent of knowing the stares of the Marauders.  She could always tell if one of them, or all of them, were looking at her.  Lily could even tell which one it was that was looking at her.  She would get a different feeling for each of them who stared at her.  Lily expected that that talent was the only divination that worked.  She was far from being a seer, but one tends to learn the gazes of four people who would look at her constantly.  

"Oh come on Lils!  Just admit it, we caught you!"  Heather spoke much softer that time.

Lily was still looking at her.  "You know what Heather?  I wasn't staring at him," Lily lied, "but even if I was, you were counting the minutes.  How pathetic is that!"

Heather didn't seem deterred by this at all, in fact, a smile grew on her face.  "Your right Lils just like always.  But there's something more pathetic then me counting the minutes."

Lily's left eyebrow went up, "Oh?  And what is that?"

"You denying that you were staring at him."  Heather added simply, "For six minutes."

Lily just shook her head, rolling her eyes, and she went back to eating her breakfast; the Marauders, Heather, Erin, and Tiffany still watching her.

After breakfast, the four girls went back up to the common room.  Nearly everyone was excited and couldn't wait for the match, therefore no homework was being done, and the room was far from quite.  Most of the people were either playing a game of some sort or talking incessantly about tactics that the Gryffindor team should take against Slytherin.  

By 1:00 all of the Gryffindors who were in the common room had started to head down to the quidditch pitch.  The game was to start at 1:30.  Lily and her friends sat with the rest of the Gryffindors.  Remus Lupin had sat near Lily like he usually did when Gryffindor had a match.  James and Sirius were both on the team and Peter was the commentator.

At the precise time, 1:30, Peter Pettigrew started the announcements and introductions of the teams.  **(A/N I don't really like Pettigrew, but he was James' and crew friend, therefore, he will have a part in my story.  I'm not going to make him in the story as little as possible, but he won't be the favorite Marauder) Peter lacked skill in quidditch, but he loved the game, and he had the social skills and the knowledge of quidditch to be one of the best announcers there was.  "Introducing the Slytherin team: Nostrum, Lestrange, Motes, Malfoy, Bellagrand, Keetes, and replacing Black, Carlton!"  As the seven players in green robes came out there were loud cheers from the Slytherin house, but boos from the others.  It was clear that Gryffindor was the favorite of the two.  Once the crowd settled down a bit, Peter's voice rang through the stadium again, "NOW FOR THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM," most of the crowd broke into loud cheers and Peter had to yell as loud as he could to be heard, "SMITH, MULLIN, GRANT, ANDERSON, HINTERS, BLACK, AND POTTERRRRRR!"  Seven players in scarlet rooms ran to the middle of the pitch and waved and cheered with the crowd until James stopped and started walking towards the center circle where Madam Hooch and Lucius Malfoy already stood.  **

Madam Hooch, the flying instructor and the quidditch referee, gave the rules to the two captains.  After a brief minute or so, Potter and Malfoy shook hands; James with a grin on his face wider then the Cheshire cat's, and Malfoy with a cold sneer on his face.  Even from the stands, Lily could tell that they were trying to break each others hand.  The minute they dropped each others hand and went to the side with their respective team Madam Hooch yelled, "Mount your brooms!"  All the players did so, as did she, and she blew her whistle.

"AND THEY'RE OFF!  GRYFFINDOR IN POCCESSION.  HINTERS HEADING TOWARDS THE SLYTHERIN KEEPER.  WATCH THAT BLUDGER!  HINTERS SHOOTS, AYA, SHE MISSES!  KEETES BLOCKED IT.  CARLTON HAS THE QUAFFLE, SHE'S HEADING TOWARDS….OH!  SHE DROPPED IT!  NICE BLUDGER SIRIUS!"

Lily drowned out the commentary.  She found it just as easy to watch the game and interpret what she saw on her own, rather then listening to others.  Sirius and Charlie Grant were all over the pitch hitting bludgers, Thomas Motes and Lucius Malfoy also flying everywhere trying to protect their teammates.  Lily watched all the chasers throwing the Quaffle back and forth, each team taking possession of it before the other team could shoot.  The keepers actually looked kind of bored.  The seekers were soaring above the rest of the match scanning for the tiny gold ball that was the Snitch.  Lily held her attention to James for a moment.  He always had a look of determination on his face when he played Quidditch, but at the same time, he looked as though he was in pure bliss, like he knew that the air was where he belonged.  That was one thing that Lily admired about him, although she told no one, not even Erin.  She liked how when he was playing in a match, he forgot about nearly everyone and didn't try to do anything special, just what he was born to do.  After a minute or two of Lily staring at James, she heard Peter yell, "SCORE!  10 TO 0, GRYFFINDOR!"  Lily was slightly shocked that she missed seeing a goal, but it didn't really bother her.  She figured that she would see lots more.  And she did.  Within 10 minutes, Gryffindor scored five more goals and Slytherin scoring one, making the score Gryffindor 60 and Slytherin 10.  The match was action packed, and very dirty; as of all the Slytherin/Gryffindor matches.  

After about 20 minutes of idle flying, James began to fly down close to the ground.  He must have seen the snitch.  Morris Bellagrand, the Slytherin seeker, looked slightly bewildered, but as James flew past him at top speed, he too started flying down at top speed.  Bellagrand was right at the end of James' broomstick.  They were flying so fast and they looked as though they were heading straight into the ground.  Lily watched excitedly, like everyone else, but she also felt rather nervous.  She was sure that if the two seekers didn't pull upwards anytime soon, they would crash right into the solid ground.  Just then, at the last possible moment, James pulled up and Bellagrand, realizing too late, crashed hard into the ground.  "JAMES POTTER JUST PULLED THE WRONSKI FIENT **(sp?)!  BELLAGRAND DIDN'T SEE THAT COMING!"  **

Along with Peter's cries of glee, the stadium erupted with cheers and chants, even Lily was cheering for James.  _'That had to have been the most brilliant thing I have EVER seen!'  _

About ten minutes later, James dived again.  This time though he only dived down towards the middle of the stands.  He flew fast and dodged bludgers and other players quickly.  When he evened out, he flew even faster and reached out his left hand as far as it would go.  He was right in front of the audience, at eye level, chasing after the snitch.  Once he caught it, the game would end, Gryffindor winning 240 to 70.  Lily saw a look of triumph on James' face before he even had his hand closed around the snitch and when he did catch it, the look of triumph turned into his huge grin and he raised his left hand up in the air, showing everyone the small ball trying to flutter out of his clutched fist.  All houses, save Slytherin house, cheered loudly as all the players headed back down to the ground.  But before James flew down to join his teammates, he smiled his dazzling smile once more, and winked at Lily.  As he flew down, Lily shook her head, but she was smiling.  She watched James and the rest of the Gryffindor team huddle around each other and congratulate one another.  She also saw James pocket the snitch.

By 3:30, Lily and her friends were back in the Gryffindor common room.  They would have been there earlier considering that the match ended by a quarter to three, but first they had to fight the crowd to the field, so they could congratulate their house team, and then they had to manage their way back out.  Lily was glad to be back in the warm common room, as were everyone else.  Being outside in the late October weather for about two hours wasn't all that fun.  It was cold and very damp; everyone was literally soaked by the time they got back into the castle.

The first thing Lily did when she got back was go change into dry clothes.  Mostly everyone else followed suit.  When she got back to the common room at about 4:45, it was rather quite for just beating Slytherin.  There were a few people playing games, a few talking about the match, some actually doing homework, and the rest were either down at the Great Hall being early to the feast, or still getting changed and warmed up.  

Lily went over to one of the big plush armchairs by the fire and took out her book.  She was reading for some time before she was interrupted with a tap on her shoulder.  She turned around to face who it was, but no one was there.  She figured that it was just some little first year playing a joke, so she went back to reading.  Then she was tapped again.  Lily turned around once more and no one was there.  She checked behind the chair to see if someone was hiding, but still no one was there.  When she went back to reading her book she felt eyes watching her.  She turned around again and no one was there, "Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, WHAT do you want?!?"  There was silence, no one answered her, but she did get a few odd looks from other people in the room, because neither Sirius nor Peter could be seen anywhere.  Lily looked around sheepishly, slightly embarrassed, but she still felt Black's and Pettigrew's stares.  The next time she spoke to the seemingly empty spot behind her, she spoke in a quieter voice, "I know you have Potter's cloak!"  When no one answered her, she let out a sigh and rolled her eyes while returning to her book, _'They are making me crazy!'  _

That's when she heard a voice in her ear.  "How do you know about the cloak?!?"  Lily didn't even have to turn to see who it was.  She recognized the smooth voice as none other then Sirius Black.

Without looking up from her book Lily answered simply, "Because I know everything."

From the corner of her eyes, Lily saw Peter and Sirius appear and walk in front of her.  Peter looked slightly nervous.  Lily never really understood why the other Marauders were his friend, due to the fact that he was so different from them.  Peter was a lot quieter than and not as smart as the rest, but he wasn't a complete idiot.  He did have quite a few tricks up the sleeves of his robes.  He also wasn't as good looking as the rest of them.  He was the shortest of the four and a bit round.  Granted he wasn't the worst looking boy Lily had every seen, but he wasn't as striking as the others.  The only thing going for Peter's looks were his round boyish face and watery blue eyes.  "How did you find out?"

Lily looked back up, "Common sense.  How else would all off you go about the grounds completely unnoticed all the time?"

Sirius and Peter gave a quick glance at each other and grinned.  "You have no idea Evans."  Sirius could be just as bad as James at times with his cockiness.  "Why do you think that it's James'?"

Lily raised her famous brow, "Isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I thought as much."

"How do you always figure out everything?"

Lily smiled at this, "I'm a prefect, it's my duty."

"How did you find out who's the cloak was?"  Sirius smiled again, "Have you been watching ickle Jamesy-boy?"

Lily rolled her eyes, "NO!"

Sirius looked back to Peter quickly before he spoke again, "That's not what Remus told us today."

"Oh really!?!" Lily said obviously faking interest in the matter, "What DID he tell you?"

"That you were staring at James during the game."

Lily hadn't exactly expected that, but she was ready, she was always ready when dealing with any of the Marauders.  "Well Black, being the fact that Potter is the seeker, one tends to watch him when he chases after that little gold ball to see if he catches it considering if he does, it's the end of the match."

Sirius, still smiling, "Oooh, you are a clever one Evans," he said sarcastically.  "You know what I mean."

"Obviously I don't, and I doubt this is way you interrupted my reading.  So what is it that you want?"

"Well, McGonagall gave us permission to have a party after the Halloween Feast and she wanted us to tell you along with the other prefects."

"Very well."  Lily went back to her book, but the two boys didn't leave.  "Is there something else?"  Without saying anything, the boys left.  _'I guess not.'_

At 9:00, after all were fed and watered, the party in the Gryffindor common room had just begun.  It was wild like every one of them.  The Marauders had gotten food from the kitchen and had gotten lots of Butterbeer, but from where they wouldn't say.  Lily had a feeling that they had snuck out to Hogsmeade somehow due to the fact that none of them had showed up to the feast.

Lily and Erin were sitting together talking to a group of seventh years.  Lily rarely talked to any of them, but Erin had always socialized with everyone.  She liked to know what was going on and loved to hear gossip, but she was usually loyal and hardly spread the rumors.  Unless of course the rumor was absolutely true and she had proof or she just really didn't like the person and didn't care.  But in this case, Erin wasn't talking to find out gossip, she was interested in one of the boys; Tommy Anderson.  Tommy was the keeper for the Gryffindor quidditch team; he was also the only seventh year on the team.  He would've become captain being the oldest on the team, but he was passed over because James had been on the team longer.  Tommy had taken over the keeper position in his fifth year when Alex Wood graduated; James has been on the team since his second year.  Lily didn't understand why Erin found Tommy attractive and interesting.  He was a complete opposite of Erin from what Lily could see.  Lily thought that he looked a bit unwelcoming.  His eyes were a very cold grey and he always seemed like he was observing everything.  Whenever Lily had seen him, he was usually not talking but listening to everyone all at once.  Lily thought that she might have heard him speak maybe a total of 10 times within her six years of being at Hogwarts.  Another thing about Tommy that unnerved Lily was the scar he had over his right eyebrow.  It was a single slash that could have been caused by anything but Lily heard that whenever someone asked him about how it was caused, he refused to talk about it.

Erin was talking to him for some time before he responded.  Lily however hadn't noticed.  She wasn't listening at all, she felt a bit out of place talking to the group.  Lily didn't like to talk to people she didn't know very well unless she had to, so she just sat there thinking about nothing in particular.  She was completely unfazed by everything going around her until she felt a pair of eyes staring at her.  She recognized the gaze of James Potter.  When she turned around to face him, she rolled her eyes.  He turned around so he wouldn't be caught staring at her, and he went back to talking to the group of girls around him by the drink counter.  The rest of the Marauders were close by as well.  Sirius was standing next to James in the group of giggling girls, Remus was on an armchair talking politely to a girl who seemed more interested in him then he was in her, and Peter was chatting happily to two fifth year girls just outside the circle where James and Sirius stood.  Lily looked back at Erin who was still talking to Tommy, and she noticed that he was talking back.  Now Lily felt even more out of place so she decided to excuse herself.

Lily walked over to the drink counter to get herself a butterbeer.  It was slightly difficult to make her way there through all the people standing around talking or dancing but she managed none the less.  When she reached the counter, James and Sirius both left the group of girls (who didn't seem happy at all with them leaving).

Sirius grabbed a cup and James got a butterbeer with a smile.  While he poured the butterbeer in the cup, his gaze never left Lily.  Whenever he did that, Lily got uncomfortable, and it took all her might not to blush.  _'Why MUST he do that!?!  Stay calm Evans, keep a straight face.  Do NOT blush, at all, that's the last thing you need.'  _

Finally James handed her the cup, "Here you go."

Lily smelled the contents of the cup; she wouldn't put it passed Sirius and James to put something in it.  It smelled the way it should, "Thank you."

"Your welcome me dear."  

Lily rolled her eye; she did that a lot when she was near James.  "Will you ever give up?"

James laughed, "Why would I give up now?  I have you just where I want you."

"I'm sure you do," Lily said sarcastically when she walked away.

Lily started walking back to where Erin and Tommy were just minutes before, but she didn't see them.  She gave a quick glance around the room and they weren't anywhere in sight.  _'I can't believe that girl!  She says she's my best friend, but she leaves without telling me!'  After Lily checked the room once more for Erin and still didn't find her, she went over to where Heather and Tiffany were.  The three of them and a few other Gryffindors from various years talked and sipped on their butterbeers for the remainder of the party.  _

It was sometime well after midnight when everyone decided to go up to their dormitories.  Lily however didn't go up to hers until around 1:30.  She stayed behind and cleaned up a bit; she always felt bad for the house elves if she didn't clean up at least a little after a big party.

Once Lily finally decided that she did enough, she went up to her dorm room.  She dug in her trunk for a pair of pajamas and went into the bathroom to get changed.  When she came back into the room she noticed two things; Erin still hadn't returned from wherever she was and a small piece of parchment with a lily on Lily's pillow.  At first Lily thought that it might have been a note from Erin, but when she got to her bed and read the note, she was completely baffled.  All the note had said was, "SWEET DREAMS."  Lily held the small ripped off piece of parchment in her hand trying to figure out who it might have been from.  Her first thought was of course James Potter.  _'He would probably do something stupid like this.  Trying to be oh so debonair.'  Lily held the paper still looking at it, when she turned surprised slightly.  _'No, if it was Potter, it would have been some long extravagant epic or something.  He's never done anything simple.'_  Lily shook her head to try to clear her thoughts.  She placed the mysterious note in her end table drawer and laid down in her bed.  She closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep.  But as try as she might, she couldn't stop thinking about the note.   __'If it wasn't Potter, who was it?'  That was Lily's final question to herself before she fell asleep._

_Lily couldn't fall asleep.  She walked over to the window of her dormitory and watched the night sky for a little while.  She watched the stars twinkle; the trees sway in the cool night breeze; owls flying around, hunting for its prey, or delivering late night messages.  She saw one beautiful tawny owl soaring around, it seemed to be showing off for the others, for some time.  She was surprised however when it came soaring closer and closer to her.  It tapped on the window and Lily obliged its silent request and opened the window.  The owl flew in and landed on one of Lily's bed post and stuck out its leg.  Lily walked over to it and untied the red parchment from the owl's leg.  As soon as she had done so, the owl flew out of the open window.  Before Lily read what was written on the parchment, she went and closed the window.  Once she was back by her bed, she unrolled the parchment, _

_"MY DEAREST LILY-FLOWER, _

_I AWAIT YOU IN THE COMMON ROOM."_

_A small smile crept on Lily's face.  She placed the note in her in end table drawer and walked out of her dormitory.  Slowly she walked down the stairs.  When she reached the bottom step her small smile faded, and was replaced with seductive smile.  She walked slowly to the couch in front of the fire and sat next to the man who she was called upon.  Without saying anything, the man took her face into his hands.  Lily was surprised to find them rough, but soft and gentle all at the same time.  His hazel eyes were dark with passion and desire, a mirror of Lily's as well.  Immediately, they started kissing, passionately.  Lily felt delirious.  She had never felt such passion before, such want, such need.  Her hands were wrapped around the mans neck as his were traveling up and down her spine.  Without even noticing it, her hands tangled themselves into his messy black hair, pushing his lips harder into hers.  Also without realizing it, Lily had leaned back, and now she was lying down with her feet off the couch, and his body pressed on top of her.  She couldn't believe what she did next.  She was buckling her hips into him, but that wasn't enough.  She wanted more.  As if her hands had minds of there own, they untangled themselves from the mans hair and found their way up the front of his chest, under his shirt.  The man took this as a sign that he could continue on further.  Lily found his hands traveling up under the back of her shirt and back down.  He caressed every inch of her back before he moved towards the front.  As his mouth traveled down from her lips to her neck, he mumbled something incomprehensible, and she started muttering his name.  _

"Lily?  _Lily?_  _LILY?_  LILY!?!"

Lily's eyes opened at the call of her name.  She looked into the faces of her three best friends huddled over her.  Erin and Tiffany had a mixed expression of shock and interest on their faces, but Heather had a look of knowing on hers.  All at once, the three girls started talking to Lily.

"I knew you liked James!"

"You were dreaming about James!?!"

"James Potter?  James POTTER?"

Lily sat up in bed, "SHUT UP!"  The three other girls immediately became silent but still had smiles on their faces.  "You'll wake up the entire castle!"  Heather was still looking at Lily with a knowing look.  It was bothering Lily, "And STOP looking at me like that!"

"Like what?" Heather said in defense.

"Like the way you are!"

Erin piped up, "Stop it you two.  Must you always bicker with each other?"

"Yes." Lily and Heather said in unison.

Erin rolled her eyes, something she rarely did, and walked over to the vanity.   Lily and Heather looked at each other and then both started walking towards Erin, "Sorry Erin."  Erin hated when any of the four of them fought.   She was an only child in her family, and over the years, Lily, Heather, and Tiffany had become more then friends, but sisters to her.   Erin shared a room with them, a life with them.  Whenever they fought, she felt like it would break their little family apart, and that was the last thing she wanted, especially with times like these.  

"It's fine."  Erin looked pleased that Heather and Lily apologized.  Now it was time to get back to Lily.  "So, Lils, what were all those "James'" about?"

Lily felt her face get red, "I don't know what you're talking about, but if you'll excuse me, I have to get ready for breakfast."

"Breakfast past, its lunch time."

"Oh.  Then I have to get ready for lunch."  _'And to kill Potter!'  _With that, Lily went into the bathroom with her clothes and started to dress while she thought.  _'I can't believe I just dreamt about Potter!  I swear I'm going to kill him when I see him!  And forget about wands!  I'll do it with my bare hands!  How in bloody hell did he manage this!?!  I hardly even saw him last night.  For Merlin's sake, I only said one word to him at the party!'  Lily gasped at what she just thought, "The party!  My drink!  Oooh, damn him."  _

Lily finished dressing and entered back into her dormitory.  Erin, Heather, and Tiffany looked at her as she stalked over to her end table drawer and took out a peace of parchment and then started pacing the room, muttering, "I'll get him for this.  Damn that Potter, damn him to hell."

Heather and Tiffany looked to Erin.  Erin got the hint, "Lils?  Mind telling us what's going on?"

Lily stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Erin.  "He put some kind of potion in my drink last night I'm sure of it!"  The three other girls just looked her at Lily, not fully understanding what she meant.  "I dreamt about him!"

Heather's face broke into a huge grin, "YOU had a sex dream about James POTTER!?!"

Lily's face grew redder in anger and embarrassment, "I did not!  I said I had a dream about him, not a _sex_ dream!"

Heather looked at her and laughed slightly, "Oh come on Lils, it's perfectly normal!  Just rather surprising!"

"NO!  It is NOT normal, I DON'T like him!"

Erin looked slightly bemused, "Lils, come on now.  Don't go mad.  It's not like no other girl in this school has had a sex dream about James."

"First off, I don't care about other girls and their dreams!  Secondly, if they do have dreams about him, they do it on their own, HE PUT A POTION IN MY DRINK!!!"

Tiffany, who was being fairly quite throughout the whole ordeal, finally spoke, "Now Lils, how do you know that?"

"WHY ELSE WOULD I HAVE A DREAM LIKE THAT!?!"

"You don't have any proof."  Heather stated matter-of-factly.

Lily unfolded the red parchment that was clutched in her fisted hands, "Right here!  Like bloody hell _Sweet Dreams!"_

Erin, Heather, and Tiffany looked at Lily, not sure whether to laugh or feel worried.  None of them wanted to say anything, for fear of being on the receiving end of Lily's death glare and/or hexes, because that was not a good place to be.

Suddenly, Lily straightened out her robes.  With her voice calm, low and deadly she announced, "I'm going down to the Great Hall and have a few words with Potter."

The three other girls now knew what to do, be worried, very worried.  Whenever Lily talked like that, she meant it.  They had only heard her speak like that twice in the nearly six years they knew her.  Once was when she was first called a Mudblood by Bellatrix Black, and the second was when she promised revenge for when Professor Riotous gave her, her first and only zero on a major assignment.

Following Lily out of the sixth year girl dormitory, out of the common room, and down to the Great Hall, the three girls begged and pleaded Lily not to do anything drastic.  But Lily had everything planned out in her head already, and there was no changing her mind.

**A/N  This isn't the whole chapter, but I'm posting it.  I've decided to split this chapter into two parts b/c this is such a long chapter.  The second part will be posted as the next chapter as "Quidditch, Dreams, and Detention Part two."  It will include Lily's encounter with James, and a detention.  I'll post the second part in a day or two, after I get some reviews.  It's already written, and I'm already working on the next chapter, "His Seeker."  :D**


	4. Quidditch, Dreams, and Detention Part tw...

Chapter three part two…Quidditch, Dreams, and Detention.

When the four reached the oak doors to the Great Hall, Lily pushed them opened with all the force that she could.  She scanned the room for James and once she spotted him, she yelled over all the other students talking, "POTTER!"

Many people ceased their talking and turned their heads towards Lily.  They, along with Lily, watched James turn his head and smile.  "Do my ears deceive me, or do I hear but not a flower call?"

Lily gritted her teeth, "Oh you hear a flower call alright!"

James' smile did not leave his face, although he did look slightly put off.  He stood up and walked over to where Lily stood, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Lily held up the small piece of red parchment, "I want to know what kind of potion you put in my drink, and I want the antidote!"

James' smile now faded and he glanced up at the Head Table to where all the teachers were sitting and watching, "Don't you think we should take this outside into the hall or something?"

"No."

"Alright.  Well, I didn't put anything into your drink, Sirius did, and I don't have the antidote."

"Oh sure, blame your best friend, that's good of you!"

"I swear, I didn't!"

"Fine, whatever, I don't care who did it, but I want the antidote now!"

James' glanced around the large hall; nearly everyone was staring at them.  When James spoke it was so quite, his whisper sounded like a scream, "I already told you, I don't have it!"

"Well, get it then!"  Lily was looking daggers at James, "Now!"

James left Lily standing there and went over to Sirius.  Sirius took a small vial from his robes and handed it to James.  As James started back towards Lily, nearly everyone else in the Hall decided to get back to their conversations thinking that nothing else was going to happen.

Now that not everyone was watching James, he seemed to gain his entire composer back, "I'll give you the antidote under one condition."  

"I'm not playing games with you Potter.  Just give me the bloody vial or I'll hex you!"

James' smile from before returned to his face, "I just have one request, then I'll give it to you."

Lily rolled her eyes; all she wanted was the damn antidote, "Fine."

The charming smile on James' face changed to a very suggestive one if that, "Just tell me something."  Lily was looking at James impatiently before he continued with a raise of his eyebrow, "How was I?"

**SMACK.  **Lily's mouth dropped open.  She couldn't believe he asked that, so she smacked James as hard as she could.

"Ms. Evans!  Mr. Potter!  Both of you into my office now!"  Professor McGonagall was walking briskly over to the pair.  Lily walked out of the Great Hall with a look of satisfaction and fear.  James just walked out of the hall holding one hand up to his cheek.

Once outside of the Great Hall, McGonagall lead the way to her office.  When they got there, the professor opened the door and walked briskly over to her desk.  She pointed to the two chairs that were in front of it.  James and Lily obliged and sat down silently.  McGonagall's gaze went from Lily to James and back to Lily.  "Ms. Evans, I never thought the day that I had to speak to you about appropriate conduct would ever come.  I expected better of a prefect, of you."

Lily felt ashamed.  Never in her six years at Hogwarts was she ever sent to one of the Professors offices until now.  "I'm sorry Professor."

"Well, Ms. Evans, I'm sorry as well, but I must punish you for your actions.  It is a prefect's duty to be a role model for other students, and hitting someone, for whatever the reason might be, and we will get back to that, is not acceptable.  You will have detention tomorrow night."

Lily nodded, "Yes Professor."

"Now back to the cause of this situation.  Mr. Potter already has detention for all this week; I need to determine if he needs more."

"Professor!  Why would I get detention for this?  I was the one who got hit!"  James said incredulously. 

"Because Mr. Potter, if you did something to provoke Ms. Evans, which I'm sure you did being this isn't normal behavior for her, you would be in the wrong as well.  Now what was the cause?"

Lily looked quickly at James and then back to McGonagall.  "He just said something that I found distasteful.  He shouldn't receive detention for this."  Lily saw James look at her shocked, from the corner of her eyes, but she tried to stay staring back to McGonagall.

The professor didn't seem to believe Lily, but said nothing of her makeshift story.  "Well, if that's all, Ms. Evans, you will join Mr. Potter up in the owllery for detention tomorrow night at 7:00.  Mr. Filtch will supervise and give you your instructions."

"Yes Professor."  James and Lily said in unison as they were dismissed.  James reached the door fist and held it open for Lily.  She walked past him and walked quickly trying to get away from him.  Unfortunately, James' legs were longer and he caught up to her without any trouble.

"You didn't tell her about the potion!"  James said with a smile on his face.

Lily looked at him with disgust, "Don't go thinking it's because I like you or anything Potter, because I don't."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because you said you didn't do it.  You said Sirius did it, therefore the only thing you did Potter, besides not having decent morals and gave me the drink with the potion in it, was asking what you asked in the Great Hall."

"Lily, I was only joking, but I shouldn't have said that.  I'm sorry."

"I don't care Potter."

"What happened to you calling me James and us trying to be friends?"

"That was a brief moment of insanity on my part by thinking you could ever change."  With that Lily quickened her pace trying to get away from James.

This time, James took the hint and stayed back.

Lily made a turn up the stairs, but not towards the common room.  She was thankful that James hadn't followed her.  She was heading towards the astronomy tower.  She loved going up there to think; it had the best view of all Hogwarts during the day and at night, Lily swore she could see every star in the sky from there.  

_'I can't believe I have detention!  Merlin, I only slapped the boy!  It's not like I hurt him really, only his goddamn ego!  Damn that Potter, it's his entire fault.'_  Lily sat there for about an hour cursing James.  Finally she decided to go back to the common room.  

When she reached the portrait of the fat lady, she gave the password, and walked into the common room.  Most of the Gryffindors were in there, some doing homework, some playing games, some talking about the latest gossip (i.e. the James and Lily row in the Great Hall) or just sitting around with their friends.  Lily noticed Erin, Tiffany, and Heather sitting in their little corner by the fireplace talking.  Well, Erin was reading, Tiffany was listening, and Heather was talking absentmindedly about nothing in particular.  Lily walked over and sat down next to Erin who looked up from her book.

"Were you at the astronomy tower?"

Lily looked at her, "Yeah, how did you know?"

Erin gave a small smile and stated simply, "You weren't at the lake."  Lily looked at Erin questionably.  "If you're not at the lake, then you're always up in the astronomy tower."  Lily just kept looking at Erin.  Then in an after thought, Erin added, "Unless you tell us that you're going to the astronomy tower, but go to the Library instead."

Lily laughed.  All this was true and she never realized it before.  "Am I that predictable?"

In unison, her three best friends answered, "Yes."

"Except for today."  Lily looked at Heather.  _'Here comes the wrath of Marx.'_  "I don't think any of us expected you to smack James.  It was quiet shocking, but effective nonetheless."

Lily didn't say anything.  She didn't know what to say. 

Tiffany broke the silence, "What did he say for you to hit him?  We saw him say something, but we couldn't hear it."

Lily's felt her face heat up, both in anger and embarrassment, "He was just being a pig headed buffoon."

Heather, along with Erin and Tiffany, laughed, but she spoke, "He asked how he was in your dream, didn't he."

Lily just looked at her once again, "How do you know EVERYTHING?!?"

Heather just shrugged her shoulders, "I read people very well, what can I say?"  

Lily rolled her eyes, and Erin decided to change the subject to something else.  She knew that if Lily and Heather continued, they would fight.  "So what did McGonagall say to you?"

"She gave me detention!"

"Are you serious…?" 

Before Erin could finish her sentence, she was interrupted, "She can't be Sirius; I'm Sirius!"

The four girls turned around and faced the four Marauders.  Lily's expression soured at the sight of James, but she said nothing.  She didn't want to say anything to him; she didn't even feel like telling him off.  Tiffany had a small smile on her face; she always had a soft spot for the good looking pranksters.  Heather seemed delighted as well, but that was because she was thinking about the prospect that might occur between Lily and James.  Erin just looked at them like she looked at anyone else.  She got along with all of the Marauders, she got along with everyone.  

"Sirius, don't you think that that whole bit got old in the first year?"  Erin smiled.

"I suppose so, but it still works to get someone's attention, doesn't it."  

Erin shook her head jokingly, "You're an annoying git, you know that right?"

"Of course I know."

Lily rolled her eyes, _'Sirius is just as bad as Potter.'  "What do you want Black?  You so rudely interrupted our conversation, so get on with what you wanted and leave."_

"Well excuse me Evans!  Just because Jamesy-boy here," James shot Sirius a death glare at the name, "supposedly got you in trouble, doesn't mean you have to be an ice-princess to me or anyone else!"

Lily just glared at him.  _'Ice-princess?_  Ice-princess!  Who the fuck does he think he is?'_  She stood up abruptly and grabbed her bag that was by Erin, "I'm going to the Library."  With that she stalked out of the common room._

Lily stayed in the Library until dinner. She was half way down to the Great Hall when she decided she wasn't hungry and didn't feel like talking to anyone, so she went back up the stairs towards the common room.  She went up to her dormitory and grabbed her things, getting ready for her shower and then for bed.  

It was 8:00 when Lily downed the entire bottle of the antidote that James had given her and then climbed into her four poster bed.  The sooner she went to sleep, the sooner the day would be over.  Hopefully tonight she would have a dreamless sleep and tomorrow would be better.

When Lily woke up the next morning it was still dark out and everyone else in her dorm were still asleep.  She looked at the small clock she had on her nightstand, _'4:30!  Argg, that's what I get for going to bed so early.'_  Knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, she decided to get all of her things and get ready for school.  At 5:30 she was finished and still waiting for at least one of her roommates to wake up.  

Finally at 6:00 Erin woke up, "What are you doing up and ready so early for," she asked yawning.

"I got up early," Lily answered with a shrug.

"Ok, well, if you give me a few minutes, I'll be done shortly and we can go down to breakfast early and talk.  I took my shower last night, so I'll only be a little while."

Lily didn't seem to care that much, but nodded, "Yeah, sure."

With that, Erin hurried into the bathroom to get ready, and within 15 minutes, she came out, "I'm done, ready to go?"

Lily nodded her head and grabbed her school bag, Erin did the same and they left down for the Great Hall.  

"So you have detention tonight?"  Erin asked as she and Lily were leaving the common room.

"Yeah, _Potter told you?"_

Erin nodded, "After you left for the library, he told us what happened."

"I can't believe that I have to spend time with him, isn't detention bad enough in itself, let alone with him!?!"

Erin shrugged, "Well, I'm sure it's not like you're gonna have to talk to him, just ignore him like you usually do, right?"

"I know, but he'll still stare at me, or try to talk to me like he always does."

"I suppose so."  The rest of the walk down to the Great Hall was quite.  It seemed that Lily and Erin were the only ones awake and out yet, but it wasn't surprising, it was after all only twenty minutes after six.

Once they reached the Great Hall, they went over to the Gryffindor table and started getting their breakfast in silence.  But after a few minutes Erin couldn't stand it.

"You know Lils, he really is sorry that you got detention because of him."

"Erin, I don't care if he's sorry or not.  I don't care anything about him.  He's just the egotistical prat that he always has been and always will be.  I wouldn't care if he screamed that he's sorry while jumping off of the astronomy tower's roof!"

Erin looked at Lily surprised, "That's a bit cruel don't you think?"

Lily said nothing at first.  "It was just an expression!"

"A pretty harsh expression!"

"Fine, I'm sorry.  I wouldn't want the fool to die, but I could care less how sorry he is."

Erin sighed, "Fair enough.  But you should give him some credit.  I'm sure you remember how hard it was to make the triple d Potion…"

"Dark Dream Draft Potion?"

"Yeah, don't you remember?  We did it back in September.  It was deep blue and didn't have a…"

"I know what it is Erin!"

Erin looked a put off, "Sorry, then why'd you ask?"

"I wasn't asking what it was.  I was making sure I heard right."  Lily said snidely. 

"Well, you did."  Erin responded just as cool.

"It couldn't have been," Lily said quietly, more to herself then to Erin.

"That's what he told us it was."

"But, the Dark Dream Draft Potion only…" Lily stopped abruptly.

"Only what?"

Lily sighed, "Bloody hell!"

"What?  What is it?" Erin asked confusedly.

"A regular dream draft potion will work on anyone.  It gives another person control of someone else's dreams, right?"

"Yeah," Erin answered slowly, "so what?"

"A DARK dream draft potion works differently."

"It does?"

"You really should pay more attention in class."

Erin shrugged, "I'm doing fine in class.  Just because I don't know every detail of a potion, doesn't mean I don't pay attention."

Lily rolled her eyes, "Ok.  Anyway, the triple d works differently then a regular dream draft."  Lily took a deep calming breath, "It only works if the person who drank the potion has any sort of," Lily stopped to search for the right words, "umm, any sort of, err, feelings, for the person who gave them the potion."

Erin's mouth dropped, then she smiled, "And it worked!  That means you have feelings for James!  Real feelings for him!"

Lily shrugged, "Apparently."  

"My god!  I can't believe it!"

"Nor can I.  I mean, I can't stand the bloody git!"

Erin laughed slightly, "You know, my mum told me and my sister once that you can love a person, but still hate them all at the same time.  I thought she was acting mad, but I guess she wasn't."

Lily gently hit her head on the table and mumbled, "This is NOT happening to me."

Erin chuckled a little more, "I wonder if James knows the difference between the two potions."

Lily's head snapped up, "Oh God!  I didn't even think about that!  And now, if he does know the difference, I made it pretty clear, that I did indeed have a dream!"  Lily's head dropped to the table again.

The rest of the day went by uneventful.  She went to her Monday classes, and although James was in every one of them, she was able to avoid him for the most part.  So, the day wasn't all that horrible thankfully.  That is of course until 6:45 came around.

James went over to where Lily was standing with her friends.  "Don't you think we should head up to detention?"

Lily looked up to meet his face, something she hated she had to do.  She never liked looking up at any male, let alone James Potter, but being that most males were taller then her, she had to.  "I suppose."  With that Lily said goodbye to her friends and walked away, followed closely by James.

The walk up to the owllery was silent, except for thunder that could be heard from outside.  Lily was thankful for this, the less she had to speak to James, the better.  

When they reached the owllery, Filtch was already there waiting.  He glanced down at his pocket watch, "You're just in time."  Lily looked at the man.  He had always given her the creeps a little, him and his cat Mrs. Norris.  

"Well, we're here, mind telling us exactly what we have to do?" James asked crudely.

A sick smile came to Filtch's, "The two of you have to clean the owllery floor.  Without magic.  So, hand over your wands.  They'll be brought to Professor McGonagall; you can get them later, after I have inspected the room and decide if it's done well enough."

Lily looked miserable, she was expecting something like this was to be done, as she handed over her wand.  But James had his trademark grin on his face as he handed his over.

Filtch looked at him with disgust, "Potter, what are you smiling about for?  You find detention fun do you?  You and your friends never seem to learn."

"Well, you always have to make the best of a bad situation." James continued to smile as he walked into the dirty owllery.  Lily trekked in behind him and Filtch left Mrs. Norris outside of the door to make sure they didn't leave.

There were brooms and other cleaning supplies in the corner of the room.  James had already gotten a broom of his own, and was holding out one to Lily.  She looked at him and grabbed the broom from his hand without saying anything.  She went over to one side of the room and started sweeping while James went over to the other.

After a few minutes Lily stopped sweeping to look up at the sky after a particularly loud crack of thunder.  Through the holes in the roof and the back wall, Lily could see the storm approaching even in the dark night sky.  She felt the winds blowing outside, and her teeth started to chatter slightly.  

_'I knew I should have worn a sweater.  Damn Heather, "You'll ruin it."  Why do I listen to her sometimes?  I rather l ruin a sweater then catch pneumonia.'_  At that precise moment while she was looking up to the sky, rain started to pour down, and Lily groaned as the water hit her face hard.

Before Lily went back to sweeping her side, she decided to see how James was doing.  She was determined to be done before him for some reason or other.  She expected to see him sweeping vigorously, but was surprised to see him sitting on a crate, his side finished no less, in one of the corners stroking a very handsome owl and staring at Lily.

"How are you done already?!?" Lily asked slightly outraged.

His famous smile crept to James' face and he took out a wand from inside of his robes and waved it a little.

Lily looked at him shocked, "I saw you give Filtch your wand, whose is that?"

"Sirius'," James said with a shrug, "so what?"

"Do you have any regard for the rules?!?"

James chuckled slightly, "Of course I do.  Now move aside so I can do yours."

Lily closed her eyes and shook her head, _'I can't believe him!!!  He is unreal!'_

When Lily opened her eyes, her side was just as clean as James'.  She glared at James for doing that, but she really was pleased that she didn't have to clean it herself.  Lily walked over to a corner on her side and sat on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest.  She was rubbing her arms absentmindedly because of the cold and she was looking up through the holes in the ceiling at the sky.  It was pitch black except when lightening cracked in the sky.  Then everything was aluminous.

For about 10 minutes Lily stayed like that, trying to get as far from the rain as possible, but it was useless.  The rain was coming in from all different directions and fell everywhere.  The only things safe in the room, were the owls, and that was only because they had a shield charm placed on them automatically when it started to rain.  

Lily felt James staring at her, but she refused to look at him.  She was still mad, and confused, about the whole situation.  _'I can't have feelings for him, I just can't!  It wouldn't make any sense if I did!  Damn that boy, how dare he take control of my dreams!  This is all his fault!  I'm gonna get pneumonia because of this toe rag!'_

Just then, Lily's reverie was interrupted, "Lily?"

Lily heard James call her name, but she pretended she didn't hear him.

"Oh come on Evans, I know you heard me!"

Lily looked up when he called her 'Evans.'  James hardly ever called her Evans.  "What is it?"

"You're gonna get sick getting wet like that."

"Oh really?  Well, how am I supposed to stay dry when rain is coming through ever damn hole in the wall, eh?"  That's when she noticed, that James wasn't very wet at all.

James pulled out Sirius' wand again with a smile, "Allow me?"

"I don't need your help; you've done enough thank you."

"What is your problem?  I mean, I figured you'd be mad for a little while that I messed with your dreams, but this is absurd!  I just want to help you so you don't catch pneumonia!"

"Absurd?  Messing with someone's dreams is absurd!"  With this Lily started crying, but her tears went unnoticed because of the rain.  "You have no right to enter my dreams or anyone else's!"

"I don't understand why you're this upset about it!  It was just a dream; no harm or anything was done by it!"  

Lily mumbled her response, "That's what you think."  She was glad that James didn't hear that.

"You know what Lily, everyone's right about you.  You'll never fall for me, I don't know why I'm still trying, and I don't know how much longer I can take your rejection.  No matter what I do, good or bad, all you ever do is get mad at me, maybe it isn't worth it, I don't know.  But either way, you are like no other girl, and no matter how hard I try not to like you, it doesn't work.  I'm sorry for whatever the reason you're mad at me."  With that, James went back to where he was sitting before and Lily stood there, not knowing what to do.

After a minute or so of standing in the middle of the room, Lily went over and sat next to James.  She wasn't looking at, but she spoke anyway, "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry about?"

Lily shrugged, "I just think I owe you an apology.  I really shouldn't be mad at you for this, and actually, I'm not mad at you.  Granted, I was at first, but, well, now I'm just, umm, not mad at you."  _'Yeah, you can talk Evans!  Just tell him that you like him too, and you're sorry for the way you've been acting!  Tell him about the triple d potion!'_

James looked at Lily slightly bemused, "Aren't you articulate?

Lily looked at James with an apologetic look, "Yeah."  They continued to look at each other and Lily was sure that both of their heads were leaning into each other, but then the door squeaked open and Mrs. Norris mewed loudly and Filtch came right in.

"You two are finished already?" Filtch said disappointed.

James stood up and so did Lily, "Just finished," James lied.

Filtch looked around the room, "Very well, you can go and get your wands from Professor McGonagall."

Lily and James walked out of the owllery and down to McGonagall's office in silence.  They retrieved their wands, after some questioning as to why Lily was soaked and James wasn't.  James had told some far fetched story to her, and she didn't believe it, but allowed them both to go up to the common room as it was late and they had classes tomorrow.

The walk up to the common room was silent also, but it was a comfortable silence.  When they reached to portrait of the fat lad, James gave the password and they walked in.  James said goodnight to Lily and walked over to the corner where the rest of the Marauders were still up waiting for James' return.  Lily said goodnight as well and walked up to the Girls Dormitories.

**A/N… Well this concludes chapter three, "QUIDDITCH, DREAMS, AND DETENTION."  I hope you liked it.  I'm so sorry that this has taken so long to get up, but I haven't been able to get onto the internet, my server has been down.  The next chapter, "HIS SEEKER," will hopefully be up in a couple of days.**


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